Inti Figgis-Vizueta – Composer Feature

Inti Figgis-Vizueta is a non-binary Latinx/Quechua experimental composer from Washington, D.C. They strive to create works that emphasize the performer’s perceptions and physical self, focusing on instructional music. Through the integration of intersectional and liberation principles into the compositional process, Inti believes the subversive barriers between composer, player, and audience can be broken down, promoting a growth in performance practice and community. They are currently pursuing an M.M. in Composition at Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

From Inti:“As an immigrant non-binary composer of color, my values center around deconstructing the hierarchies that permeate the classical tradition through aleatoric and instructional music, collaborative processes, and a goal of physically manifesting explicitly progressive values. Intersectional feminism is the core perspective of my music, with identity-based choice as a central compositional tool. Taking into consideration how education is commodified, especially in the U.S., I believe that the best way to support those without access is to create music explicitly centering the perception, bodies, and choices of performers.”

When asked for a fun fact about themselves: Black Lives Matter

We’re thrilled to be performing Inti’s piece Please Do Not. Inti sent along this program note:

‘I feel it would be ideal if my music could sound, and then when the echoes of those sounds come back I would no longer be there.’

– Toru Takemitsu

I love this quote, particularly in reference to this piece. Performing it is an ever-shifting fabric of unisons (until it isn’t), and hearing the other performers is almost like hearing an echo coming back to you. It’s a really beautiful work – delicate quarter tones, the steady grounding roll on tam-tam, and for the second half of the piece, cycling through consonant and dissonant intervals.